Posted on July 28th, 2013 by Sacha Chua
More posts about: life // 1 Comment »

From Saturday afternoon: It had started raining, so W- put away his tools and stopped working on the deck stairs. He asked if I wanted to go out and do something fun – maybe watch a movie, or have pho?

I checked the movie listings. Nothing particularly worth watching on the big screen instead of on our television, and we had food in the fridge. So we stayed home, watched one of the movies we’d checked out from the library, and enjoyed some home-made pizza.

We haven’t been to a movie theatre in ages (ever since I decided that actually, even superhero blockbusters are just fine on the small screen). The library is the source of a constant stream of DVDs. While there are long waits for the latest releases, there are plenty of old movies we can go through. I’ve gotten accustomed to watching with subtitles and the ability to pause or rewind, which is great since many movies involve at least one mumbly moment. Besides, if we watch at home, we can make jokes.

I am such a homebody. My default is to spend time at home, and I enjoy it. I love reading, writing, drawing, coding. Tidying up is slightly less fun, but it’s also useful. We’re not hermits – we go to the supermarket, the library, the hardware store – but we don’t often go out just for recreation.

I go out occasionally – more often than W- goes out. I go to the clients’ offices. I go to HackLab to hang out with other geeks and learn from them. I go to friends’ get-togethers. And then I come home and recharge.

Back when I lived at home, my parents took me and my sisters out a lot: eating at restaurants, strolling through the malls. I hardly go shopping here, aside from the occasional stressful sprint when I need to restock my shoes or clothes. I hardly go to restaurants, either. When I get together with friends, it’s usually in someone’s kitchen.

I think the trick is to embrace this homebody-ness instead of wondering whether it makes us weird. (At least we’re weird the same way!)

Sunday: Also, maybe I should check the event listings once in a while, when the weather is good. There’s always something going on in Toronto, and it could be a good excuse for a bike ride. For example, there’s some kind of Japanese festival going on downtown, so I might head out. Maybe something outside 1-3 times a week? Let’s try that.

Update: Hah, staying home to work on the deck stairs instead. We’ll probably head out for celebratory pho afterwards, though!